I am the Door

A safe place for folks with questions. A safe place for people seeking respite and peace. A safe space for those society rejects. A safe space for anyone who isn’t perfect. Bishop Chris McLeod looks at Jesus’ statement, “I am the door”.

In today’s video teaching, Bishop Chris McLeod looks at Jesus’ statement, “I am the door”. People of all backgrounds, all circumstances, with varied experiences, seek safety in the world. Humans seek a safe place…to be who they are…to ask the big questions…to find a sanctuary in the midst of turmoil, uncertainty, suffering and loss. Jesus tells us that he is our safe space.

Sadly the church has not always been a safe place for everyone. Jesus, however, provides the ultimate sanctuary for all people: to talk, to share, to find peace, to speak about things that matter. As we find our sanctuary in Jesus, we are called to go out into the world and to be a safe place for others. As we continually come back to Jesus and then go back out into the world, we pass in and out through the door of true safety: the love of Jesus.

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Pray:

God of safety: it is hard sometimes to truly comprehend the belonging and acceptance we have in you. Before we knew you, you loved us as we are. We bring to you the times when we have not felt safe, accepted or loved. May we experience your healing and restoration. As we live in your love and safety, help us to reflect this to the world around us. Thank you that you are with us in our best efforts to love others. Thank you for continuing to teach us what love looks like. In Jesus name, Amen.

Bishop Chris McLeod is an Assistant Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide and the National Aboriginal Bishop, with special responsibilities to support Aboriginal Anglicans, and to be an Aboriginal episcopal voice in the house of bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia and wider Anglican Communion. Chris is of Gurindji descent and his mother was a member of the Stolen Generations. Bishop McLeod has a a BTh from Flinders and a MMin from Tabor College, Adelaide.